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Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut bill shifts 504 plan bias complaints to Educational Ombudsperson and requires state data tracking
Last action · April 8, 2026: Immediate Transmittal to Committee on AppropriationsSponsors: Robin Comey and 4 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Senate Bill 424 transfers jurisdiction over state-law disability discrimination claims for students with IEPs or s from the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson, while requiring the State Department of Education to compile and publish 504 plan data starting July 1, 2026.
Families of public school students with disabilities gain a specialized state office to handle discrimination grievances, while local school districts face new data-reporting mandates and potential administrative oversight regarding student accommodation plans.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public school students with IEPs or Section 504 plans
State-law disability discrimination complaints concerning these students are routed to the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson.
Local and regional boards of education
School boards must supply data to the State Department of Education regarding Section 504 plans and report annual figures starting in 2027.
State Department of Education
The department must compile public 504 plan data, modify the CT-SEDS system, conduct a needs assessment, and increase oversight.
Office of the Educational Ombudsperson
The office gains new investigative powers, legal staff, and jurisdiction over state-law disability discrimination complaints for students with plans.
Key Facts
- Starting July 1, 2026, the State Department of Education must annually compile and publish public data on its website showing the number of students in grades K-12 with Section 504 plans, organized by school district.
- Jurisdiction over state-law claims alleging disability discrimination in public schools for students with IEPs or Section 504 plans transfers from the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities to the Office of the Educational Ombudsperson effective October 1, 2026.
- The Office of the Educational Ombudsperson is explicitly empowered to hold hearings, subpoena witnesses, compel attendance, take testimony under oath, and require written answers to interrogatories.
- By January 1, 2027, the Commissioner of Education must submit a report to the General Assembly detailing best practices and the usage impact of Section 504 plans since 2020, following a mandated working group review.
Show all 9 facts
- The State Department of Education must modify its special education data system (CT-SEDS) to better adapt to Section 504 plan requirements, limiting required reporting to specific demographic, evaluation, and accommodation fields.
- Starting July 1, 2027, local and regional boards of education must report annually to the Department of Education on the number of students with 504 plans by grade, support types given, and parent complaints.
- By January 1, 2027, the Department of Education must perform a needs assessment to determine the ideal student-to-counselor and social worker ratio for students with IEPs and Section 504 plans.
- The Department of Social Services must identify school-provided services that could qualify for Medicaid reimbursement and report to legislative committees by December 31, 2026.
- The Chief Workforce Officer of the Office of Workforce Strategy must develop and report a strategic assessment plan by December 31, 2026, to increase the capacity of school social workers and counselors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new reporting requirements do local school boards face under the bill?
Does the bill change federal requirements under Section 504 or the IDEA?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
10 actions- Apr 8, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyImmediate Transmittal to Committee on Appropriations
- Apr 2, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 361
- Apr 2, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 248
- Apr 2, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 2, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 27, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/01/26 5:00 PM
Show 4 earlier actions
- Mar 17, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 17, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Mar 6, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 03/10
- Mar 5, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Government Oversight
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Transfer of Educational Discrimination Oversight
The legislation moves enforcement of state disability discrimination laws regarding student plans from a general civil rights commission to a specialized education ombudsperson.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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